THE BEER NUT: They say Fermentation Fest is a gas

Wednesday

Learn about fermentation later this month at a festival in Boston, then get your lederhosen ready for an Oktoberfest celebration in Salem and try a new beer made for pinball wizards in Everett.

The world of fermented food and beverages will be showcased at the Boston Fermentation Festival later this month.

Boston Ferments, a group of “fermenting enthusiasts,” will host Boston Fermentation on Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boston Public Market.

There will be book signings, and taste tests of fermented beverages and food. Among the festival's events is a group “Kraut Mob,” where everyone gets together to make a giant batch of sauerkraut.

This year’s event will feature a talk, “Mashing the Patriarchy: Women who Ferment Beer,” where women working in different aspects of the beer industry will talk about the business from their point of view.

On the slate for the panel discussion is Maureen Fabry, brewer and founder of CraftRoots Brewing in Milford; Brienne Allen, brewer at Notch Brewing in Salem and the president of the Boston chapter of the Pink Boots Society, a national organization that promotes education and the advancement of women in the beer industry; Jessica Alexander, a microbiologist with a Ph.D. who works at Lamplighter Brewing Company in Cambridge; and Lauren Clark, a freelance journalist and author of “Craft Bastards: Beer in New England from the Mayflower to Modern Day.”

The panel will be moderator by Andrea Shea, a reporter at WBUR radio and a former brewer.

For more information and ticket info, visit www.bostonferments.com.

It's never too early for Oktoberfest

Speaking of Notch Brewing, the Salem brewery will host its Oktoberfest celebration at its 283R Derby St. brewery on Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20 at the door and the price includes a custom Steinkrug Maß (cermaic liter mug), and live entertainment. Tickets for teens are $10 each and children younger than 12 get in free. Dogs are not allowed during the event.

The Notch Oktoberfest will feature a ceremonial tapping of the festbier at 12:30 p.m.. Events include a stein-hoisting competition, and contests for best lederhosen and best dirndl with prizes for most authentic and most creative.

There will also be an Oktoberfest dance-off featuring Al Snape, owner of Far From the Tree Cider in Salem, as well as menu offering German dishes.

There has to be a twist

And finally, pinball fans, Down the Road Brewery in Everett, is brewing the beer for you: Bonus Ball New England IPA.

Down the Road’s taproom, 199 Ashland St., features more than 20 pinball machines, the inspiration for the new beer.

Down the Road’s founder and brewery Donovan Bailey said he has often been asked to brew a pinball-themed beer.

“Bonus Ball is that beer, a super-hazy New England IPA that's the first in a rotating, arcade-inspired hoppy beer series," he said.

Bonus Ball will be released at the brewery on Sept. 17 in four-packs of 16 ounce cans. The brewery will limit the beer to one case per person.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=646&start=2. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.